Asking Her
by TripleMelody
Summary: With one week left to buy prom tickets, Bakura and Ryou need to ask Raziya and Serenity out soon. With the help of their friends, they manage to summon the courage to do so. Will the girls say yes? Contains fluff, sweetness and an OC. For millenniumthief.


Summary: With one week left to buy prom tickets, Bakura and Ryou need to ask Raziya and Serenity out soon. With the help of their friends, they manage to summon the courage to do so. Will the girls say yes? Contains fluff, sweetness and an OC. For millenniumthief.

A/N: This one-shot is a birthday present for one of my friends and favourite writers: millenniumthief. She was nice enough to let me borrow some of her personality traits for my Original Character, Raziya. Thanks for everything, Em! If you haven't already, you have to read her stories, they're all amazing and she is an extremely talented author, especially when it comes to Bakura and Ryou stories (but she's also terrific with other characters, too)!

For the purposes of this fic (since I wanted it to be sweet and fluffy): Yami Bakura and Atem have separate bodies to Ryou and Yugi, since they stayed after the events in Ancient Egypt. Yami Bakura isn't evil anymore, and he and Atem are no longer enemies. Yami Bakura is friends with him now, along with Yugi, Joey, Tristan and Marik. Since Atem didn't leave to go to the afterlife, Mana rejoined him in the present. Also, Amane (Ryou's younger sister, who died in the manga) is alive. All the girls and guys are in their last year of high school (and are 17/18), except for Amane and Serenity who are three years younger than everyone else, and are in their first year of high school (Amane and Serenity are both 14).

Sorry this is three days late, Em! Hope you enjoy it! :)

Warning: Contains some Out of Character-ness, some cheesiness, some attempts at humour and a lot of fluff.

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or any of its characters.

"And don't forget to purchase your tickets for next month's prom! Tickets are 35 dollars per person, and the deadline for all payments is next week! Have a great day, Domino High!" The announcements ended and the classroom, which had previously been silent, was now filled with chatter, the sound of books opening up, a great deal of nervous energy emanating from many boys, accompanied by high-pitched, excited giggles from several girls.

_Right_, Bakura thought. _As if I could have a remotely nice day now, after giving me just seven more days to get a date! And not just a date with any girl, but with __**her**__. _He automatically raised his head to look at the Egyptian girl who sat directly in front of him. From this location, all he could see was her back and her straight black hair, which brushed across her shoulders every time she turned her head. However, he knew that if she turned around, he would be met with the most beautiful green eyes, framed by thick lashes, and the sweetest smile he'd ever seen.

"Hey, Raziya!" Bakura went rigid in his seat as he heard Duke Devlin call her name from across the classroom. Raziya shifted in her seat so she was facing him. "Yes, Duke?" she replied.

_If the next words out of Devlin's mouth are "Do you have a date for prom?" I swear I'll send him to the Shadow Realm_, Bakura vowed.

"Will you go with me to prom?" Duke asked confidently.

Bakura glared at him with all the vengeance he could muster. Unfortunately, his effort was wasted, as Duke only had eyes for Raziya. His heart stopped as she opened her mouth. An apologetic look formed on her face; her eyes softened and she smiled kindly at Duke. "I'm really sorry, Duke, but I already said yes to someone else. Thank you for asking me, though." She turned back to her work.

Bakura felt like someone had punched him in the stomach, knocking all the air out of him. _Maybe I'll still send Devlin to the Shadow Realm. Might make me feel a little better._

-----

Bakura walked glumly into the cafeteria, to the table he, Ryou and the others always sat at. He sat down heavily in his usual spot, waiting for the others to arrive. Yugi and Marik were the first. They immediately asked what was wrong. "Raziya's going with someone to the prom," he muttered. It sounded even worse when said out loud. Yugi and Marik's face wore identical expressions of sympathy. They both knew how much Bakura liked Raziya, and how long it had taken him to even get to the point of _considering_ asking her out.

Marik opened his mouth, about to offer his friend some words of empathy and comfort, when the other four guys arrived. Bakura noticed with surprise that Ryou and Tristan shared similar desolate expressions to him. Atem and Joey both looked deeply concerned, and the worry on their faces only grew as they met Bakura's eyes. Joey shook his head, while Atem asked, "Not you too, Bakura?"

Bakura frowned, and looked towards Ryou for enlightenment. "Ryou, what happened to you and Tristan?"

Ryou sighed unhappily, his reply consisting of six words. "Serenity and Miho already have dates."

Bakura's heart went out to his best friend. He knew that Ryou, unlike most of the boys who had crushes on Serenity, actually cared about the sweet, innocent girl, and wasn't into her just because of how attractive she was. "I'm sorry to hear that Ryou. Same goes for you, Tristan. If it's any consolation, I actually heard Raziya turn a guy down, only for her to inform him that she had agreed to go with someone else to prom." Ryou looked even sadder now, if that was possible. "Sorry, 'Kura."

They all sat down. Yugi glanced around the table, then spoke up, clearly trying to lighten the mood. "You know . . . maybe the girls only said they had dates to let the other guys down gently." His attempt worked. Bakura, Ryou and Tristan's heads shot up, their eyes brightening in hope. "Really?" they all asked in unison. Yugi smiled, nodding his head. "That's what Téa had to do, to get one of the guys in her homeroom class to leave her alone. She said "no, sorry" originally, when he'd asked her, but then he kept asking her why, so she finally told him she was going with one of her neighbours."

Atem took over from there. "Who asked them to the prom, do you know?" The three nodded their heads. "Duke asked Serenity," Ryou said, a protective look forming on his and Joey's faces. Bakura frowned. "He asked Raziya out too." Tristan gritted his teeth. "That jock from the rugby team asked Miho out. You know, the one who has that really creepy grin, and the bulging muscles."

Atem and Yugi exchanged triumphant looks. "Well, that settles it, then!" Joey exclaimed. "We all know that Duke can be a cocky jerk, and most of the girls who _do_ like him, only like him for his so-called "pretty" looks. And, as for that dude, Tristan, _nobody_ likes him, since he's always mean to everyone."

Bakura, Ryou and Tristan exchanged cautiously hopeful looks. Ryou smiled, slightly cheered up. However, his face fell once more, as he spoke up, voicing a new concern. "There's just one problem . . . how do we ask the girls out now? And while what you're saying makes sense . . . it's also very possible that they _could_ already have a date. I mean, they're all beautiful, and very nice, so it's not unlikely that they could have said yes to someone before today." The other two nodded in agreement.

Joey sighed. Ryou raised an eyebrow in his direction. "Aw, come on, Ryou! You three are way better than all of these knuckleheads in the school put together! Do you really think they would have said yes to anyone else? They're probably _waiting_ for you guys to ask them out. All you have to do is go up to her at the end of the day, ask her if she'd like to go to the prom with you, and you've got yourself a date - and possibly a girlfriend, too!"

Tristan looked at Joey in disbelief. "Is THAT how you asked MAI out? You just went up and asked her right out?" Joey nodded proudly, grinning widely.

Bakura turned to Atem, Yugi and Marik. "Assuming that Joey is right about them not having accepted any other offers - is that really all you have to do? Is that all you three had to do?" The three friends nodded, but each went into a separate description.

Yugi started. "Well, I went up to Téa before lunch yesterday . . . after she had turned that guy down. I asked her if she was okay after her morning, and she blushed, nodding. She said that she really didn't want to have to make up a date, but it was the quickest way out of a situation like that. "So you don't have a date for prom, then?" I asked. Téa shook her head. "Well . . . would you . . . ever consider going with me? I mean, just as a friend, if you'd prefer that. If you don't want to, that's okay, I completely understand-" She cut me off there and said she'd love to go with me as _more_ than a friend, if I was okay with that. I was too stunned to talk, so I just gave a nod. Then, she gave me a hug, smiled, and practically skipped away!" Yugi finished, blushing slightly, in joy and embarrassment.

Atem smiled affectionately at his best friend, before sharing his experience. "You all know that Mana and I were close friends back in Egypt and have grown even closer now that there are no political boundaries coming between us and interfering with our, er, friendship. So, when I first heard the announcement about prom, I went up to Mana and asked her if she'd like to go with me. She just rolled her eyes, and asked me who else would she go with? I could tell she was very pleased, though she tried to cover it up by acting all casual and nonchalant." Atem grinned, looking quite pleased himself.

Marik smiled shyly. "I actually didn't ask Amane out, she sort of asked me, thanks to a certain older brother of hers." He shot a grateful glance in Ryou's direction, who laughed in acknowledgement. "I really didn't do anything, Marik!" Ryou said, smiling now, too. "I just told Amane that you really wanted to ask her to the prom, but you were too shy. So, I just told her to go ahead and ask you! After all, we all know that Amane's had a huge crush on you for the last year." At this, Marik's face reddened. Ryou neglected to mention that Marik had fallen for Amane the first time they had met, and completely adored her. "Anyways," Marik started speaking again, his cheeks deepening in colour. "Amane came up to me before school started, and she asked me if I would like to go to the prom with her. I said I'd really, really like that, and she looked pretty happy. Thank God for older brothers, right, Ryou?"

Ryou nodded. Suddenly, his eyes shifting over to Joey. Joey, noticing that Ryou was staring intently at him, looked confused, then, after a few seconds, his eyes brightened in understanding. He shook his head, saying: "Oh, no! I am not getting Serenity to do _anything_. For one thing, she's even shyer than you, Ryou. For another, I know that it would make her day if you asked her. And, last, but not least, I know you can ask her out yourself. I mean, if _Yugi_ can ask Téa out, then you can certainly ask my sister out. After all, Yugi is almost shyer than you, Ryou."

Ryou bit his lip. "You've got a good point there, Joey. I would never want to make Serenity uncomfortable, and, if you really think it would make her happy, then how can I not ask her out?" Joey grinned. "That's the spirit, Ryou! Now," at this, Joey turned to Tristan and Bakura. "You two should try and take a leaf out of Ryou's book. You know it would really make Miho and Raziya happy, and you know they're both pretty shy. So get a move on!"

-----

Bakura walked slowly towards the staircase that led to Raziya's locker. He now knew what it was like to have your feet feel like they had turned to lead. Actors in movies and on TV, and characters in those books that Ryou liked so much, made this sort of thing seem easy. While in reality, it was turning out to be the singlehandedly most terrifying and nerve-wracking experience of his life! He was putting himself on the line by asking Raziya out. And (now that he was thinking about it) why would someone as completely beautiful and wonderful as her go out with someone who had been the Thief King of Egypt in his past life? She was the most kind-hearted girl he'd ever met. She was unfailingly polite, sweet and nice to everyone she met. She was so considerate of everyone's feelings and so thoughtful. She was always ready to help out someone, whether it be a friend, or a classmate. And, the most amazing thing about her was how she always seemed to know what to say or do to make someone feel better. She could brighten someone's day just with one of her sweet smiles, or, in his case, by simply saying "Good morning, Bakura!" at the start of the day.

Just the memory of her voice was enough to make him smile. And bring on another round of panic and sheer nerves. _Come on, pull yourself together, Bakura!_ He thought desperately. _If Ryou can be brave enough to ask Serenity out, then I should have no problem doing this! I mean, compared to me, Ryou is the most timid person on the face of the earth - except maybe for Yugi._

As he ascended the stairs, and brought himself closer to the girl of his dreams, he hoped fiercely that his friends had been right about Raziya wanting him to ask her. If they were wrong . . . he didn't even want to imagine the disappointment and embarrassment that he would feel afterwards. He also didn't want to make things awkward between him and Raziya. _This may be my one chance with her! What happens if I blow it? _He considered that for a few seconds. _The Shadow Realm is looking surprisingly inviting at the moment . . . it things don't work out, maybe I'll drop in for a visit . . . a really long visit . . . _

Bakura was startled to suddenly find himself at the top of the stairs, mere inches away from the door that led to the hallway of classrooms and lockers. He willed his hand to close around the door handle and pull it open. He forced himself to walk through the doorway, and then down to the end of the hall where he half-hoped, half-feared Raziya would be. Luckily - or maybe not so luckily, depending on how he looked at it - she was there, looking as lovely as ever. Taking a deep breath and bracing himself for the worse, he quickly walked over to where she was kneeling down in front of her open locker, placing books and binders inside. He gently tapped her on the shoulder, and became speechless for a moment when she turned to look at him, the full force of her beauty suddenly overwhelming him.

-----

Raziya's Point of View

Raziya looked up at the white-haired Egyptian, a little startled, but secretly pleased to find him here, at her locker. She noticed with concern that Bakura looked rather nervous, almost afraid. _I wonder what he's doing here. Maybe he needs help with math? _she thought uncertainly. She offered him a smile, which only seemed to make him _more_ nervous, if that was possible. She stood up, so that they were almost at eye level (he was several inches taller than her). "Are you okay, Bakura? What's wrong? You look a little . . . worried about something. Is everything alright?" she spoke gently.

Bakura gulped, and opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He closed it, inhaled deeply, and tried again. This time, a jumble of words came spilling out, though none of them were coherent. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand what you just said. Do you think you could repeat that for me, please?" she asked politely. Bakura spoke again, this time so softly that she had to lean in to hear his question. "Would you go to prom with me?"

-----

Bakura's Point of View

"Would you go to prom with me?" I whispered. Raziya's eyes widened in response, and, for a minute she was silent. She seemed to be in shock.

That minute was agony. There was no readable expression on her face, and I worried that maybe she was trying to think of the best way to let me down gently - like she had done with Devlin. Or . . . maybe she's just trying to think this through, since she probably didn't know how I felt about her. _Maybe I should haven't just blurted the question out like that. Maybe I should have -_

My anxious thoughts were interrupted when Raziya suddenly broke into a huge, clearly delighted smile. "Really?" she asked, slightly breathless. "You really want to go with . . . me?"

My eyebrows shot up. I didn't even stop to think about my response; I was too surprised by her question. "What do you mean "really"? Of course I want to go with you - who wouldn't Raziya?"

Her smile widened even more, if that was possible, and a blush started to appear on her face. "Well, then, I would love to go with you to prom, Bakura. Thank you for asking me." She knelt back down, quickly finished packing her bag, shut her locker, and turned back around to face me. "I guess I'll see you in homeroom tomorrow morning," Raziya said, still smiling. She hesitated for a second, and then gave him a hug. She pulled away quickly, flashed him another beautiful, sweet smile, and then dashed down the hall, calling out: "See you tomorrow, Bakura! And thank you!"

-----

Bakura walked home in a blissful, still slightly stunned daze. He still couldn't believe what had just happened. Not only had Raziya said yes, but she had also hugged him, and looked really happy afterwards, too. _Thank God my friends were right! I just hope they were right about Serenity and - _For the second time that day, he was cut off in the middle of a thought. This time, though, it was because he had just turned onto the street before Joey's house, to find Ryou and Serenity walking _hand-in-hand,_ and smiling at each other and laughing. He quickly turned back, deciding to take the long way home, so as to give those two some privacy. He smiled, thinking how happy Ryou must be.

-----

Ryou's Point of View

After what seemed like ages, Ryou finally came home. He was still ecstatic, and practically bouncing up and down as he walked into the kitchen to find Bakura. "Bakura! How'd it go with Raziya?" He fell silent as he saw Bakura listening intently to someone on the phone. He worried that something was wrong, but immediately relaxed when Bakura said: "Tristan, while your motorcycle is impressive, I highly doubt that Miho would be able to ride it with a dress on. Plus, you know how girls can be about their hair, especially when it comes to prom. I mean, if they aren't talking about what dress or shoes they're wearing to prom, they're talking about where they're going to get their hair done, and obsessing about how they want it to look! If you want to really impress Miho, then I think your first idea was far more suitable - rent a limo." There was a pause, as Tristan replied, and Bakura's expression turned thoughtful. "Hmm, that's actually not a bad idea, Tristan. I mean, it won't be quite the same if it's all of us, but that could be fun. Afterwards, we could walk them back home, since I highly doubt any of us have enough money for two trips in a limo." There was another pause, then Bakura smiled. "Sounds like a plan. We'll talk about this tomorrow at lunch. See you then, and again, congratulations, Tristan!" Bakura hung up and turned his attention to Ryou.

"I'd ask you how it went with Serenity, but by the look on your faces earlier, I'd say it went well. Especially seeing as how you were holding hands." Bakura grinned at Ryou. Ryou frowned in confusion, and then his eyes lighted up in understanding. "I thought I saw you when I was walking Serenity home! And, yes, it went well. Amazingly well, actually. I still feel like this is all a dream, and I'll wake up any second now." Bakura pinched him lightly, causing Ryou to let out a small yelp. "Clearly, you're awake, Ryou. Now, please tell me what happened with Serenity that lead to you two walking home together - before I go crazy from the suspense!"

Ryou smiled - it seemed to be something that he and Serenity had done a lot of today. "Well, at the end of the day, I saw Serenity walking down the hallway. I ran after her, and nearly ended up tackling her, thanks to a jerk who tripped me - on purpose I might add! Fortunately, but kind of embarrassingly, Serenity actually caught me before I fell. She asked me if I was okay, and I said yes, thanks to her. We kind of just stared at each other for a few moments, and then, all of a sudden, I got down onto one knee - I swear, Bakura, it was like something had taken over my body - and I asked her if she would be my date to prom! We both kind of froze; me, in complete horror at what I'd just done, and I don't know what was going through Serenity's mind at that moment. I was still frozen to the spot when she knelt down in front of me, and said that sounded perfect."

"The next part is a bit of blur. I think we both stood up, I said something that made her smile - I think I offered to walk her home - and, before I knew it, we were outside, talking and laughing together! Somehow, we ended up holding hands, which felt really nice. I do remember walking Serenity to the door of her house and hearing her say she'd see me tomorrow at school. The next thing I remember is realizing that I was back here, at home." Ryou's smile had grown by the time he finished his story. He quickly demanded to hear what happened with Raziya, and Bakura launched into his own happy tale.

By the time they went to bed that night, both Ryou and Bakura could hardly wait for the morning to come, when they would see the girls they would surely dream of tonight. *

-----

One month later.

-----

On the night of prom, everyone was at Mai's house. All the girls were upstairs, in Mai's bedroom, which was where they had spent almost the entire day getting ready, while the guys (who arrived an hour before the limo was supposed to come to pick them all up) waited patiently downstairs in the living room. Mai had offered to let them watch TV, but they had politely declined, since they were far too excited (and quite nervous, in some cases) to be able to pay attention to the latest football match. Instead, Ryou and Yugi were giving some last-minute dancing lessons and tips to the group; they were the only two who knew how to dance. Ryou and Yugi had actually taken some dancing lessons to prepare themselves for prom, much to the amusement of their friends. However, no one was laughing now, as Marik, Tristan, Joey, Atem and Bakura carefully listened to their instructions and advice, watched Ryou and Yugi's demonstrations, and then attempted to copy their dance moves with partners. Yugi split them up into pairs: Bakura and Marik, Ryou and Atem, and Joey and Tristan. Little did they know they were being watched.

Upstairs, the girls - who had been ready for the last ten minutes - could barely contain their laughter at the adorably funny scene going on below. From the top of the stairs, they could see right into the living room, and the dancing lessons that Ryou and Yugi were giving the five other guys. The reason they found the whole thing hilarious was because of the deadly serious looks on the guys' faces and how awkward they looked when Ryou and Yugi assigned them partners to practice with. Téa, Mai and Serenity had collapsed in a fit of silent giggles at the sight of Tristan and Joey trying to waltz together. When they had managed to calm down, Raziya suggested that maybe they should all go back to Mai's room (to help fix Téa and Mai's make-up since they had been laughing so hard that tears were pouring down their cheeks) and let the boys finish their dancing session. Mana agreed, and the seven girls quietly, and somewhat reluctantly, tiptoed away from the stairs.

Ten minutes later, Amane crept back into the room, to inform the others that her brother and his friends were done dancing. Excitedly, they all exited the room, and walked as fast they could to close the distance between themselves and their dates downstairs.

-----

They had known the girls had been spending all day getting ready, but they had had no idea what the end result would be. Nothing could have prepared them for the breath-taking beauty that awaited them at the top of the stairs. Yugi had heard their voices, and gotten up to go see if they were ready. They followed him out into the foyer, when all seven of them stopped dead in their tracks.

Ryou, Bakura and Marik's eyes nearly popped out when Amane came down the stairs. Ryou barely recognized his little sister in the light blue dress with the knee-length "twirly" (as she'd described it) skirt and her long, snowy white hair now bounced up and down in curls as she practically ran down to give him and Bakura a huge hug. Bakura smiled at her, and gently ruffled her hair - his way of showing affection towards the girl he considered his "little sister". Marik looked ridiculously happy when Amane hugged him as well, and simply said, "You, uh, look really pretty, Amane." Amane beamed with joy. She knew she looked pretty, but it was nice to hear it from Marik.

With Amane's attention now solely focused on Marik, Bakura and Ryou turned to meet Raziya and Serenity.

Ryou and Serenity smiled shyly at each other. Ryou took her hand to help her balance, since she was a little wobbly with her new high heeled shoes. "Thanks, Ryou. You look very handsome," Serenity complimented him. "Thanks. You look even more beautiful than when I saw you this morning, Serenity," Ryou replied, unable to tear his eyes away from her. Serenity had gone with a pale pink dress that fell just past her knees and which was supported by two spaghetti straps. Mai had twisted most of her hair into a messy bun in the back, leaving a few locks of hair free, to frame her heart-shaped face.

Raziya blushed as Bakura told her: "I've never seen anyone look as beautiful as you do tonight. Not that you don't always look stunning, Raziya," he added, his heart hammering as he spoke. Raziya ducked her head, as if she was embarrassed. "You really think so?" she asked, looking at her shoes. Bakura let out a sigh of exasperation, causing Raziya to glance up. He gently took her by the shoulders, and shook his head. "Again, with the "really?" question? Why can't you see and _believe_ how wonderful you are, Raziya? I guess we'll have to spend some time together over the summer, so I can drill it into your head how truly amazing you are." Raziya's face lit up with unconcealed joy and a rush of emotions. _Summer? _she thought to herself._ He wants to keep seeing me, even after school is finished? He must really like me. Maybe as much as I like him._ She felt her heart expand at that thought. "You really do look beautiful, Ziya." Raziya smiled at the mention of his nickname for her, and in response to his compliment. She had been shocked, but overjoyed when she had seen herself in Mai's mirror before leaving to come downstairs with the others.

She had let Amane do her hair, much to the younger girl's delight. Amane had twisted handfuls of hair on both sides into two little braids. Then, she had pulled the braids together, and secured them with a black hair clip. Raziya loved the simple hairstyle. It went perfectly with the dress she had bought: a golden, floor length gown, with an elegant halter neck that was very flattering and went well with her tanned complexion.

A few minutes later, the limo pulled up into the driveway, and the excited teenagers piled in. Within ten minutes, they were at the hotel where the prom was being held. The arrival of the limo seemed to surprise the crowd that was gathered outside, and that surprise grew when they saw the fourteen students who emerged. Another limo came, with the distinctive Kaiba Corp. logo on its side. Seto and Mokuba Kaiba got out, also looking surprised at the presence of another limo. Mokuba waved at Yugi and the others. "Nice ride!" he said, grinning. As they all walked towards the entrance, they distinctly heard Seto say, "Well, that's a first. I've never seen a _dog_ ride in a limo." Joey growled and was about to turn back and confront Seto, but Mai leaned in and whispered something in his ear, causing him to suddenly look extremely cheerful, and a little smug. Behind them, the group of friends heard Mokuba telling Seto to be nice. Before they went inside, Bakura asked Mai what she'd said to calm Joey down. "I just said that Kaiba's jealous because Joey had a date, and he didn't," she replied, grinning.

The next six hours flew by, as the couples danced, talked, laughed and had tons of fun. Serenity and Ryou were dancing off to the side, currently debating the various pros and cons of being an elementary teacher. So far they had agreed that the obvious con was having to teach all the different subjects _and _Gym (which both of them hated), while the biggest pro - for them, anyways - was getting to spend time with little kids.

"I've always loved kids," Ryou admitted. "Especially after my sister was born." Serenity smiled. _He really is the sweetest guy._ _I bet he'd be a great dad_. She pulled herself from the beginning of one of her fantasies, one where she and Ryou were married, with a little brown-haired girl, and white-haired boy running around their home. "Ryou?" "Yes, Serenity?" Serenity took a deep breath, and then voiced the question she'd been longing to ask him ever since he'd asked her to the prom. "I know you're graduating, and you'll be really busy with your studies for the next few years, but . . . do you think we'll still be able to be . . . friends?"

Ryou seemed to understand what she was trying to say. They stopped dancing, and Ryou led her over to their table, where it was quieter. Once they were seated, he answered her question with a question of his own. "Serenity, would you be my girlfriend?" Serenity's eyes filled with tears, as she nodded happily, and hugged Ryou. He, in turn, hugged her back tightly, overjoyed. Somehow, after a "thank you" and a "no, thank _you_", their faces came very close to each other. Then, suddenly, there was no distance at all, as they shared their first kiss.

Bakura and Raziya spotted the two embracing, and smiled at each other. "Let's hope that Joey doesn't look over there anytime soon," Bakura said, laughing. Raziya nodded, smiling.

This had been the most incredible night of Raziya's life, and a lot of that had to do with the person she was currently dancing with. She let out a surprised cry as the hand that was supporting her back suddenly let go and she fell back, only to have Bakura catch her, inches from the floor. She mock glared up at him. "I could have hit my head if you hadn't caught me in time!" she accused, only half-outraged. "I could be unconscious right now, and it'd be all your fault because you don't know how to do a dip properly! What do you have to say for yourself, Bakura?"

"I think I'm in love with you." "That's what I - wait, WHAT?!"

Bakura pulled her back onto her feet, and stared straight into her beautiful, mesmerizing green eyes as he repeated himself. "I think I'm in love with you. I've never felt this way about anyone else before, Raziya."

Raziya was too stunned to say much, except for two words: "What way?"

Bakura smiled. "I feel like I'm drawn to you by some kind of magic. When I'm with you, I feel completely happy and like everything is right. I can be myself, and know that you accept me for who I am, which is really amazing. Raziya . . . in my eyes, you are the most wonderful person in the world, and I want to spend time with you and get to know you better. I want to make you smile and laugh. I want to . . . be your friend, and maybe more some day. Do you, by any chance . . . feel at all that way about me?"

Raziya was at a loss of words and unable to form an answer, so she did the next best thing - she stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

By the time the kiss ended, Raziya had found her voice again. "I think I'm in love with you, too, Bakura."

Bakura smiled, and kissed her again. "Just so you know, it's not my fault that I can't dip properly. Blame Yugi. He was my dance teacher."

Raziya giggled. "I know." Bakura frowned. "You and Marik make a really cute dance couple, by the way," she added, as Bakura's eyes widened in understanding and horror. "But you know what?" she asked, smiling happily. Bakura shook his head. She kissed him again.

"I think that we're a much cuter couple."

Bakura laughed. "I think so, too."

They resumed dancing, and at the start of every song, they would lean in to kiss each other.

" . . . you know who else makes a really cute couple? Tristan and Joey. I think we may have some competition there . . . "

A/N: Hope you liked it! This is my first real attempt at this kind of writing, so I hope it turned out alright. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

I wasn't sure how to end this story, but in I narrowed it down between the line I did use, and these two lines of dialogue:

"And just so you know, I would never have let you hit your head. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall, Ziya . . . even when I'm the reason you're falling."

"Bakura, if you're the reason I'm falling, it's because I'm falling in love with you."

But I thought people would probably gag from the cheesiness of that, so I decided to use the other one.

Also, I know it seems unlikely that Bakura and Raziya would think that they may be in love with each other already, but that's because I think Bakura has a lot more life experience than most teenagers, so he's got a better understanding of what true love feels like, and both Bakura and Raziya are very mature for their ages.

Thank you for reading! Any constructive criticism and/or suggestions would be much appreciated!

~Melody


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